Quinn Hughes
| birth_place = Orlando, Florida, U.S. | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 10 | weight_lb = 170 | position = Defense | shoots = Left | league = NHL | team = Vancouver Canucks | prospect_team = | prospect_league = | ntl_team = USA | draft = 7th overall | draft_year = 2018 | draft_team = Vancouver Canucks | career_start = 2019 | career_end = }} Quinn Hughes (born Quintin Hughes on October 14, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Quinn was drafted 7th overall by the Canucks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to the draft, he was considered a top prospect player. Playing Career Born in Orlando, Florida, Quinn began playing hockey while his family was living in Boston due to his father's work He began playing as a forward before transitioning to defence when he was 13 years old. Quinn’s family moved to Toronto early in his life, as his father found work with the Toronto Maple Leafs. As he had begun skating at a young age, while in elementary school he was given permission to skate during lunch period after he consistently became distracted during class watching his younger brother & father skate on a frozen baseball diamond. Quinn's hockey career began when he played Bantam AAA and Minor Midget AAA hockey for the Toronto Marlboros before joining the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in 2015. Quinn also had the option of joining the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), as the Sarnia Sting drafted him in the third round of the 2015 OHL Draft, but chose to continue developing in America. However, before joining the USNTDP, he made a verbal commitment in January 2015 to play NCAA hockey at the University of Michigan for their 2017–18 season. Quinn played in the USNTDP alongside fellow top prospect Brady Tkachuk (whom he also shared a room with). During his first year with the U.S. National Under-17 Team, he scored 7 goals and recorded 17 assists in 57 games. During the 2016–17 season, he scored four goals and 22 assists in 26 games, making him the first defenseman in USHL history to post such high points-per-game ratio two seasons before his NHL draft eligibility. For his efforts, Quinn was named to the All-USHL Second Team. As of 2018, Quinn sits in fifth place for the USNTDP record for most points by a defenseman with 77. Collegiate Quinn played for the Michigan Wolverines at the University of Michigan. While attending the school, he enrolled in the School of Kinesiology and majors in Sport Management. During his rookie season (in which he was the youngest NCAA male ice hockey player), he recorded five goals and 24 assists in 37 games. Quinn's 29 points ranked tied for 12th in the NCAA and third in the Big Ten among freshmen, while his 24 assists ranked third in the NCAA and first overall in the Big Ten among freshman. His 24 assists is the most in Michigan program history by a freshman defenseman. Following an outstanding freshman season, Quinn was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and the All-Big Ten Second Team. He was also selected as a finalist for Big Ten Freshman of the Year, with the award eventually going to Mitchell Lewandowski. Leading up to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Quinn was considered a top prospect player due to his skating and puck moving ability. The final ranking from the NHL Central Scouting Bureau in April placed Hughes in sixth place amongst North American skaters. He was eventually drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round, seventh overall Quinn attended the Canucks development camp that summer, but he ultimately decided to return to Michigan for his sophomore year, citing a goal to win an NCAA championship and furthering his development as his reasons. In spite of speculation that Quinn would leave Michigan early to join the Canucks, he completed the 2018–19 season with the Wolverines. During the 2019 Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, he suffered a foot injury in a 3–2 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on March 8, 2019. After an x-ray showed limited damage to his foot, Quin played the following night in a 4–1 loss to the Golden Gophers, which thus eliminated the Wolverines from the playoff series. During his sophomore season, he recorded five goals and 28 assists in 32 games, ranking first on the Wolverines in scoring. Following an outstanding season, Quinn was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award. He was also named a finalist for Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. On March 12, 2019, Quinn was named to the AHCA First-Team All-America, becoming the 95th All-American in Michigan's history. Professional On March 10, 2019, Quinn ended his collegiate career following his sophomore season, signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Canucks. After signing with the team, he underwent an MRI by the Canucks medical staff and was discouraged from skating for a week as a result of his foot injury that he sustained from the Big Ten playoffs. Quinn eventually made his NHL debut on March 28, 2019, against the Los Angeles Kings where he played on a pairing with Luke Schenn. He recorded his first career NHL point, an assist on a Brock Boeser goal, in a 3–2 shootout win. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International International Play }} Despite being a dual citizen of both the United States and Canada, Quinn has chosen to represent the United States internationally. He stated that choosing to play for the United States was an easy choice because it was important for him to represent his country. In 2015, Quinn was named to the World U-17 Hockey Challenge for Team USA. He was one of seven players from the Toronto Marlboros Minor Midget Team to compete at this tournament (with all but Quinn representing Canada). Following that tournament, where Team USA failed to place, he participated at the Under-17 Four Nations Tournament in Slovakia. In 2017, Quinn played at the 2017 IIHF World U18 Championships, helping the U.S. Under-18 World Championship team win a gold medal in Slovakia. He finished in the top five in scoring among United States defensemen with five points. Quinn was later named to the U20 U.S. national junior team to compete at the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Buffalo, New York, helping his team win bronze. A few months later, following the end of his freshman season at Michigan, he was the youngest player named to the senior United States roster to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship. At the age of 18, Quinn was the only collegiate player on the roster and became the 33rd Michigan Wolverine player to compete at a IIHF World Championship tournament. He again won bronze with Team USA, scoring two points in ten games while averaging 12:13 minutes of ice time. During his sophomore season at Michigan, Jack was selected to compete at the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, alongside his brother Jack. They became only the third pair of brothers to compete for Team USA at a World Juniors tournament, with the most recent pairing being Joey and Michael Anderson in 2017. On December 24, 2018, Jack (along with Michigan teammate Josh Norris) were named alternate captains for Team USA. They were two of five returning competitors from the 2018 World Junior Championships team. he helped lead Team USA to the gold medal round of the tournament where they lost 3–2 against Finland. After the Vancouver Canucks season ended, Quinn was one of 17 players named to Team USA for the 2019 IIHF World Championship. Playing Style Described as a smooth-skating and mobile player, Quinn says that he models his game after NHL defencemen Duncan Keith and Kris Letang. After being drafted by the Canucks, general manager Jim Benning cited Quinn's dynamic skating and ability to quickly transition the puck as reasons for drafting him, seeing it as ideal for the team. Accolades Personal Life Hughes was born in Orlando, Florida while his father, Jim was an assistant coach for the Orlando Solar Bears. He is Jewish. Quinn comes from a hockey-playing family as his father, Jim Hughes, is a former hockey player and team captain for Providence College, an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins, and the Toronto Maple Leafs Director of Player Development. His mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, played ice hockey, lacrosse, and soccer at the University of New Hampshire. In 2012, she was inducted into the University of New Hampshire Athletics Hall of Fame. She also played for the United States women's national ice hockey team, and won a silver medal at the 1992 World Championship. He has two younger brothers, Jack and Luke, who also play hockey; Jack was drafted first overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft; Luke plays minor ice hockey for Little Caesars 15U and will play for the U.S. National U17 Team. Quinn's uncle Marty and his cousin, Teddy Doherty, were also both involved in hockey; Marty last played in the British National League for the Dundee Stars, and Teddy last played for the Manchester Monarchs in the ECHL. Category:1999 births Category:American ice hockey players Category:American ice hockey defencemen Category:Vancouver Canucks draft picks Category:Vancouver Canucks players Category:USA Hockey National Team Development Program players